Slipped Away
by snevans78
Summary: This is a SevLily fanfiction with some JamesLily, starting from when Sev called Lily a mudblood. Major DH Spoilers.
1. Introduction

This FF is Snape/Lily and some James/Lily, with major DH Spoilers.

**This is my first fanfiction. Please read and review. I **_**want**_** criticism, because if there isn't any, I know you're not being honest. **

**Just don't totally flame it!**

**I want to dedicate this fic to Falling.Twilight and "The Lost Moments" because that's what mainly inspired me to write this. **

**YOU ROCK:)**

**-Mandy ******


	2. Mudblood

Chapter 1: Mudblood

"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!"

Lily stood, transfixed. Who _was_ this? It didn't sound like the person who, until seconds ago, had been her best friend. She looked into his black eyes and immediately had the impression that she was looking into cold dark tunnels. She blinked.

"Fine," Lily said coolly. "I won't bother in future. And I'd wash you pants if I were you, _Snivellus_."

"Apologize to Evans!" Potter thundered at him, threatening him with his wand.

"I don't want _you_ to make him apologize," Lily shouted at Potter. "You're just as bad as he is."

"What?" Potter yelped. "I'd never call you a – you-know-what!"

Lily ignored him.

"Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can – I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me SICK."

Fuming, she hurried away, leaving her childhood friend behind.

"Evans! Hey, EVANS!" She heard him yell distantly.

She ignored him. After a few minutes, there was a flash of light and Severus was hanging upside-down in the air again.

_He deserves it_, Lily thought darkly.

At dinnertime, Lily walked into the Great Hall with a couple of her friends, carefully avoiding Severus' eyes from the Slytherin table. She barely touched her food and pretended to be listening to Mary and Alice's conversation about the Defense Against the Dark Arts exam. She could almost feel Severus' cold black eyes on the back of her head. She didn't want anything to do with him anymore. Let him fraternize with those Death Eaters. Why would she care? She had friends besides him.

"…and question fourteen C was pretty hard, don't you think, even for someone like you, Lily- Lily? Hello, I'm talking to you!"

Alice waved her hand in front of Lily's bright green eyes.

"Huh? Sorry, Alice…"

Barely listening to their conversation, Lily finished her dinner slowly and then went to Gryffindor tower to the girl's dormitories, her head still spinning with thoughts.

How could she have been so blind? She should have seen this coming. Severus had always been interested in the Dark Arts, and was part of a gang of Slytherins who she was sure would turn out to be Death Eaters. And anyways, he called all Muggle-borns Mudbloods, too, why had she been stupid enough to think that he actually thought of them as best friends? Not when those creeps like Mulciber were around…

The door was wrenched open. It was Lily's friend Mary.

"Lily," Mary panted, "that git, Snape is looking for you. He's right at the Entrance-"

"Tell him I'm not interested," said Lily brusquely.

"I _did_," Mary said impatiently, "and he said he would sleep down there if he didn't get to talk to you."

She looked mildly amused.

"Fine," said Lily huffily.

"Hey, _I'm_ not _making_ you do it,"

Lily nodded without a word, went down to the Common Room and climbed out through the portrait hole. Severus was waiting outside. Lily folded her arms.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not interested," Lily retorted, avoiding his pitch-back eyes.

"I'm sorry!"

"Save your breath."

Why was she here, anyway? She didn't have time to listen to his pleas for forgiveness- how could he think she was just going to let them be best friends again?

"I only came out because Mary told me you were threatening to sleep here," she said when he didn't speak.

"I was. I would have done. I never meant to call you Mudblood, it just-"

"Slipped out? It's too late. I've made excuses for you for years. None of my friends can understand why I even talk to you. You and your precious little Death Eater friends- you see, you don't even deny it! You don't even deny that's what you're all aiming to be! You can't wait to join You-Know-Who, can you?"

He opened his mouth but closed it, lost for words. Lily was finally voicing what she had been thinking since that evening. She felt no pity as she spoke again.

"I can't pretend anymore. You've chosen your way, I've chosen mine."

"No- listen, I didn't mean-"

"-to call me Mudblood? But you call everyone of my birth Mudblood, Severus. Why should I be any different?"

Without waiting for his answer, Lily gave him a contemptuous look and then climbed back through the portrait hole.

She stayed in the common room for a while for last minute revisions for the exam tomorrow, not wanted to endure her friends piling her with questions the minute she stepped back into the common room. Finally, when she could work no longer, she took her book bag and went to the dormitories.

"How'd it go?" asked Mary.

Lily grimaced. The last thing she wanted to hear right now was her friends telling her that she could have been more careful in choosing her friends.

"Fine," Lily managed to choke, biting back her tears.

Mary gave her an understanding look.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really," said Lily.

"If you say so," came the tired reply.

Lily changed and got into her four-poster bed.

She suddenly remembered a conversation she had had with Severus, when they were about ten.

_"Does it make a difference, being Muggle-born?" Lily had asked. _

_"No. It doesn't make any difference." _

_"Good."_

_"You've got loads of magic. I saw that. All the time I was watching you…"_

_Snap out of it, Lils_, she told herself firmly.

Yet as she was trying to fall asleep, she couldn't help but realize that everything that he had shared with her, his friendship, his knowledge, his kindness… it had all been lies.

She let out a stifled sob and rolled over and fell asleep.


	3. Potions

Chapter 2: Potions

Summer had been very lonely for Severus. He spent most of his time reading over his second-hand copy of _Advanced Potion-Making_ in his dusty bedroom with cobwebs on the wall and flies stuck on the ceiling. He had found that this copy had not been up to date, and made many changes in the book.

As he boarded the Hogwarts Express, he watched the happy, carefree students who greeted their friends happily and felt a twinge of jealousy. Until a few months ago, he might not have been as energetic as these students but at least he had a friend- and a real one, not like his fellow Slytherins.

He joined Avery, Mulciber, Rosier, and Wilkes in a compartment. As they discussed the Dark Arts, Severus' mind wandered to Lily. Soon enough, he saw her walk by, having an animated discussion with her friend Yolanda. Their eyes met for a second and she glared at him and then stalked off, her dark red hair flying behind her.

XXXXX

The Slytherins and Gryffindors filed into the dungeon where they usually had Potions.

Severus sat in his usual spot. Lily usually sat next to him. She had been avoiding him in the past day, so she sat with the other Gryffindors.

Lily had always liked Remus as a fellow prefect, but she disapproved of his choice of friends. The two Gryffindors were chattering about their O.W.L results when Professor Slughorn called the attention of the class.

"Take out your scales and potion kits, everyone, and don't forget your copies of _Advanced Potion-Making_…"

The class proceeded on, Severus had already made changes in his book that he found here and there, and he followed his cramped handwriting. As he brewed his potion, he remember one moment in their first year…

_"You know, Sev," said Lily had said as they walked out of the same dungeon after Potions, "you should teach Potions one day." _

_"What?" he said distractedly. "__Me__?"_

_"Why not?" said Lily. " I mean, no one in our year is as good as you at Potions anyways-"_

_"No one except you," he said quietly. _

_She blushed slightly at this. _

_"I can't imagine myself as a teacher, though. But you-"_

_"Hey Snivellus," Black interrupted, "Has old Sluggy's invited you to his little party? I assumed you had to be grease free to enter, but I guess I was wrong-"_

_"Shove off, Black, leave him alone," said Lily. _

_"Defending him, are we, Evans," said Potter, who had been lurking behind Black, his faithful sidekick, "why do you let him drip so much grease on you-"_

_"Ignore them, those prats," Lily whispered as they made their way to the Great Hall. _

Severus cursed himself as he finished brewing his potion. Lily had always defended him from Potter and his cronies; she was only trying to help. Why had he been so stupid not to realize that?

That afternoon, Severus settled himself in the grass next to the beech tree. He had been just doing his Defense Against the Dark Arts essay when he caught sight of the familiar dark red hair. Potter was yards away from Lily, rumpling his untidy black hair.

"What is it to you, Potter?" Lily snapped. "Will you please stop stalking me?"

"I will if you go out with me, Evans," Potter replied and Severus groaned very, very quietly.

"For the thousandth time, when is it going to get through your thick skull that I'm NOT interested?" Lily said crossly.

"Why are you so averse?" said Potter. "I'm smart, funny, good at Quidditch-"

"In other words, an egotistical, attention seeking prat," Lily finished.

Severus watched them until they were out of sight. He sighed. It would be a while until Potter gave up on her, but eventually, he would…or so Severus thought.


	4. Gryffindor versus Slytherin

Chapter 3: Gryffindor versus Slytherin

_"Evans, Lily!"_

_Lily walked up to the stool, her face pale and her legs trembling as the whole school had their eyes on her. She apprehensively placed the Sorting Hat on her head – _

_"GRYFFINDOR!"_

_As she made her way toward the cheering Gryffindors but turned back to Severus with a diminutive, sad smile on her face. _

_After they reached the S's, she watched intently._

_"Snape, Severus!" _

_"SLYTHERIN!"_

_As walked to the other end of the room, she felt rather miserable because they weren't in the same house. After the excellent feast, she walked towards the Slytherin table to find Severus._

_"Hey, Sev," she said they were about to leave to their separate dormitories, "we'll still be best friends, right? I mean, we're not in the same house and everything-"_

_She bit her lip. _

_"Of course we will!" said Severus. "I mean, we'll still have some classes together, I think…"_

_A reassured smile crept up Lily's lips. Without warning, she flung her arms around him. _

_"I knew you would say it didn't matter!" _

_A little taken aback, Severus' color rose. Luckily, she didn't notice. _

_"Well, see you tomorrow, I guess."_

_Severus nodded. _

_"Oh, and Sev?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"You- you won't leave me, will you? I mean, we'll __always__ be friends, right?"_

_A little jaded, but happy all the same because she was there with him, Severus nodded. _

_"Always."_

Lily woke up to the sound of loud cheering. She sat up woozily.

"Geez, guys, what's going on?"

"I'm just getting ready for the Quidditch match," said Marlene. Lily laughed softly to herself and shook her head. She knew that Marlene had a crush on the Gryffindor Keeper Mark McKinnon.

"You should be, too," Yolanda told Lily. "I expect Potter will expect you to – _encourage_ – him…"

"I'm not giving Potter any sort of _encouragement_," said Lily.

"I really think he likes you, Lils," said Mary, "he's so persistent…and he's been stalking you for the last five or six years…and he's so handsome…"

"Why don't you date him then?" Lily called as she started walking down the stairs to the Common Room, leaving Mary looking very puzzled.

Laughing at Mary's reaction, she walked into the Common Room.

"Hi, Remus!" she said. He was sitting on the couch by the fireplace with a piece of parchment in his hands.

"Hello, Lily."

"What happened to you arm?"

She scrutinized a scratch mark on his right forearm.

"Nothing!" he said brusquely, pulling his arm away.

"It looks bad – d'you want me to run down to the Hospital Wing and get you an ice pack or something-"

"It's fine…really, Lily-"

"Okay, if you say so!" she said, climbing through the portrait hole.

There was a slight pause. Then-

"How come she talks to you, Moony?" James Potter said, pulling off his Invisibility Cloak. "It's not like you make an effort with her-"

"That's because I don't act like a git around her," said Remus smoothly.

James gaped.

"So she thinks I'm a git?"

"Yes, but that's only because you act like one when she's around. You have to just be yourself, I'm telling you, she'll like you better-"

"Rise and shine, Prongs!" Sirius said, walking drowsily into the Common Room.

"Padfoot!" said James cantankerously. "Moony was just giving me girl advice! Mind you, Moony, how come you haven't got a girlfriend yet?"

Remus shrugged.

"If this is about Evans, mate, all you gotta do is stop making a fool out of yourself when she's around," said Sirius slickly.

James looked incredulously from Remus to Sirius.

"Have you guys been practicing this speech while I was asleep? Because if you were, I don't give a-"

"Hey, chill, mate!" said Sirius in his usual slick voice. "We haven't been having late-night practices about what-to-say-to-Prongs-about-Evans-"

"And even if we were, take our advice," said Remus. "Try not to be so much of a show-off in front of Evans, and I promise, she'll pay more attention to you."

"And anyway, you have a match to get ready for, mate! Go show Evans who the real James Potter is!"

A little annoyed that his friends were ganging up on him, James followed the two of them to the Great Hall for breakfast.

XXXXX

"…Slytherin in possession! Jugson passes to Nott, who dodges a Bludger- there's Gryffindor Keeper McKinnon- Nice save, Gryffindor!"

A loud cheer erupted from the Gryffindor stands. It was the middle of the game.

James was watching Wilkes, the Slytherin seeker. He squinted his eyes for the snitch- WHOOSH!

There was a flicker of golden light and James sped after the Snitch like lightning, and stretched his arm out…

"Potter caught the Snitch! Gryffindor wins!"

James flew back to the ground to meet his friends and admirers who were waving and cheering loudly…

Lily couldn't help but feel a bit impressed at how fast Potter had caught the Snitch. She, of course, had only come to the match because all of her friends had decided to accompany Marlene. She looked at Potter, surrounded by his admirers. She noticed that he wasn't messing up his hair like usual- but of course, there was no need- he _had_ just got off his broomstick and his hair was messy enough anyways.

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**PS: I know the end was really sucky but please review anyways!!!**


	5. More Advice

**Before I start this chapter, I want to comment on one of the reviews, from Lady Charity: **

**This story is quite interesting. I think it has a lot of potential. Though Lily may need a tad bit more time to grow on James ( she DID start dating him two years after the Mudblood incident) I don't think the ending was sucky. Aww. Remus is cool. Sirius is funny. James is...James. haha. Good job!**

**The thing about James and Lily, I have thought about that, and I think that Lily should start to like James in the sixth year, though she may not be open about it, because I can't see how in their seventh year, she can just randomly say yes to James. **

**Well, anyways, back to the story. **

* * *

Chapter 4: More Advice

Lily and Alice sat in the Common Room using Locomotion Charms to make their Butterbeer corks race each other in circles near the fireplace. The Gryffindors were having a loud party in the Common Room.

"I think I'm done, Al," said Lily, yawning. "G'night!"

"Night," Alice replied, rubbing her eyes.

The two of them slipped of to their dormitories.

James watched Lily going up the stairs to the Common Room with Alice.

"Looking at someone?" said Sirius, grinning

James scowled.

"I don't understand, Padfoot. I have luck with most girls. Why doesn't she-"

"Follow my advice, and it's just a matter of time, Prongs," said Remus, sleepily.

James and Sirius eyed him suspiciously.

Remus tried to ignore them, but when they continued to stare, he said, "Look, Prongs, I know you like Lily, and you have to show her you like her, not by just asking her out or making a fool out of yourself in front of her. I promise she will find you more appealing if you just be yourself."

"Easy for you to say, Moony," James snorted. "It's not like she hates you-"

"Chill, Prongs," said Sirius in a bored voice, "she doesn't hate you. Anyway, now that she's got her hands off Snivelly-"

James reacted so fast that Sirius jumped in his seat.

"What, you mean she _liked_ him?"

Remus and Sirius roared with laughter.

"CHILL, mate!" said Sirius, wiping his eyes; he was laughing so hard that his eyes were watering.

"She didn't like him in that way, it's just…with her defending him…"

James ignored Remus.

"What does that greasy git have that I don't?" he said, surveying himself.

Remus and Sirius rolled their eyes.

"I guess greasy haired gits seem to be more appealing to Evans than Quidditch pl-"

Sirius fell silent at Remus' stern look.

"She doesn't like him, Prongs," he said firmly. "She's just been sort of down lately, mainly because her sister's acting out on her, but I think it _might_ have something to do with him…"

"Nah," said Sirius, "no one that good-looking would fall for that git. She's just upset because I'm not as taken with her as Prongs is here-"

Laughing at James' furious look, Sirius took his belongings and went up to bed.

"G'night!"

"You two never take anything seriously," said Remus, half-irritated, half-amused. "See you tomorrow, Prongs."

He followed Sirius up to the dormitories.

James looked at the two of them, bewildered. _What_ on earth was wrong with them?

* * *

**PS: I know this chapter was really short, I'm running out of ideas for the sixth year. I think I'm going to go straight to the summer after this. **


	6. The Playground

Chapter 5: The Playground

"LILY! Have you seen my necklace?"

Lily sighed as she listened to her sister yell frantically about her missing jewelry.

"No, Tuney, I haven't seen it," she said in a tired voice.

"Then where on earth is it?"

"Haven't got a clue."

The day went on like any other summer day. Lily was just finishing up her History of Magic essay for the summer homework.

A few minutes later, Petunia marched up to Lily's room and wrenched the door open without bothering to knock.

"Do you mind?"

"No," said Petunia. "I need to borrow a necklace."

"Help yourself," said Lily, gesturing to her desk. Petunia quickly took one and went back to her room without saying thank-you.

Lily sighed, closed the door, and resumed with her homework.

This summer had been exactly like the last, with Petunia rarely speaking to her unless it had something to do with her jewelry. Lily gazed out of the window, where a few blocks away was the rusty playground she had spent most of her time as a child…

_Lily and her sister were swinging on the swings in the playground. Lily started swinging higher and higher, getting ready to jump off the swing. _

_As she started to let go, she distantly heard her sister yell, "Lily, don't do it!" _

_It was too late, though. She had already let go of the swing and she soared through the air with a wonderful, light feeling in her stomach, giggling as she landed gracefully on her feet. _

_"Mummy told you not to," said Petunia angrily. _

_She had stopped the swing and stood up. _

_"Mummy said you weren't allowed, Lily." _

_"But I'm fine," Lily giggled, picking up a flower from a bush yards from where she stood. "Tuney, look at this. Watch what I can do."_

_Petunia looked around, and Lily knew she was making sure no one else was watching them. She reluctantly dragged her feet forward, and Lily made sure she was within view of the flower sitting in her palm. Lily seemed to be controlling the flower; it was moving its petals in a highly unusual way. _

_"Stop it!" Petunia shrieked, shielding her eyes from the flower. _

_"It's not hurting you," said Lily, closing her hand on it and throwing it to the ground where it was before. _

_"It's not right." _

_Petunia's pale eyes followed the flower as it fell to the ground, inches from the bush. _

_"How do you do it?" she added. _

_Lily was about to answer that she didn't know- sometimes she just __made__ things happen. _

_"It's obvious, isn't it?" said a slightly excited voice from the bush. _

_There stood a small and twiggy boy with sallow skin, greasy, pitch black hair, black eyes, and oddly mismatched patchy clothes with an extremely oversized coat. Petunia had shrieked and ran back to the swing set; Lily was startled, too, but she was curious about what this boy was talking about. _

_"What's obvious?" she asked as a dull flush suffused his sallow face._

_As though trying to block Petunia out of the conversation, he lowered his voice so it was almost a whisper and said, "I know what you are."_

_Lily was perplexed- what did he mean, he knew what she was?_

_"What do you mean?" she asked. _

_"You're … you're a witch," the boy said, his voice now a whisper. _

_She glared at him. Who was he to tell her she was a witch? What did he know about her, anyway? Had he been spying on them at the playground behind the bush before this? _

_"__That's__ not a very nice thing to say to somebody!"_

_She turned on her heel and walked away to the swings, where her sister was clinging on to one of the swing poles. Lily grabbed the other one, watching the skinny, pallid boy flap after them, his cheeks highly flushed now. _

_"No! You __are__. You __are__ a witch. I've been watching you for a while."_

_So he __had__ been stalking her. _

_"But there's nothing wrong with that," he added quickly. "My mum's one, and I'm a wizard."_

_Lily stared at him skeptically while Petunia shrieked with cold laughter. _

_"Wizard! __I__ know who __you__ are. You're that Snape boy!"_

_Petunia turned to Lily. _

_"They live down Spinner's End by the river," she added to Lily. "Why have you been spying on us?"_

_The boy looked uncomfortable. _

_"Haven't been spying," he said defiantly. "Wouldn't spy on __you__ anyway, __you're__ a Muggle." _

_Petunia looked highly affronted. _

_"Lily, come on, we're leaving," she said in a shrill, bossy voice. _

_Lily immediately followed her sister, glaring at the boy. Who was he to call her sister some unknown, but obviously insulting word?_

_She walked through the gates and followed her sister back home. _

* * *

**PS: Sorry, but I HAD to write that chapter! I always wanted to write that from Lily's POV!**


	7. The Hogwarts Express

**I'm sorry, I HAD to add this chapter! It's kinda short…**

* * *

Chapter 6: The Hogwarts Express

Severus sat, hunched in a corner of a compartment of the Hogwarts Express by the window, listening intently to his fellow Slytherins' conversations, not participating much himself.

"Just one year," Bellatrix Black was saying, "just one more year of this Defense Against the Dark Arts rubbish, followed closely under that crackpot old fool's crooked nose," she paused as everyone gave a great shout of laughter, enjoying the attention, "and we'll be off to do much more important things."

She lay her shoulder on her boyfriend, Rodolphus Lestrange's shoulder.

Severus' mind wandered. He looked out of the window at the fog that was covering the train as soft raindrops tapped against the window…

_He listened peacefully to the sound of Lily's excited giggles. _

_"Is this a real frog?" she asked him breathlessly. _

_"No," he said, "It's just a spell."_

_"Sev, look! The picture's __moving__!" _

_She thrust a card with a picture of Agrippa on it into his scrawny hands. _

_"Hm."_

_None of this was a surprise to him, but he loved watching her being fascinated with magic. _

_She studied the card for a while, while Severus helped himself to a Pumpkin Pasty. _

_"The picture's gone," Lily said, after a while, frowning at the card. _

_"They don't stay the whole time. But they come back," Severus explained, "not like in the Muggle pictures where they stay put inside the photos."_

_Lily squinted at the picture. _

_"That's unusual."_

_Severus shrugged. _

_"You'll get used to it."_

_Lily proceeded to open a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans._

_"Be careful with those," Severus warned, "those __really__ have __every __flavor."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Well, they have some regular flavors, like the Muggle candies, and some really odd ones like spinach and liver and tripe."_

_Lily picked out up and chewed off the end of one. _

_"I think this one tastes like Pepper!" she said, giggling. _

_Severus looked out of the window at the dark green hills outside. He was sure that Hogwarts would be better than Spinner's End. As he listened to Lily eagerly trying out different flavored beans, he felt extremely grateful to have her as a friend. _

He sighed as he remembered that euphoric feeling he had on his first train ride to Hogwarts. This was now the last one, and he was almost dreading going there, where he would face the same bullying and snide remarks he faced every year. Right now, he wished he could be anyone- anyone in the whole world besides himself.

* * *

**PS: I got most of the inspiration for this chapter from Harry's first train ride in the first book, just thought I should credit that. **


	8. Patronus

**This chapter is kind of short but I promised I would add some James/Lily!!! **

* * *

Chapter 7: Patronus

"I still can't believe you're Head Boy," said Lily as she and James walked back from the prefect carriage where they had given the new prefects instructions.

"Yeah, and I _can_ believe you're Head Girl," said James, grinning.

Lily couldn't help but return the smile. She turned to the compartment where her friends were buzzing with excited chatter.

"Um…see you around then," she said.

"Yeah," said James, a little gawkily, but she didn't seem to notice (or at least was tactful enough to pretend not to) as she joined her friends.

"How'd it go, mate?" said Sirius, who had appeared right next to James.

"Alright," said James, following him to a compartment where Sirius, Remus, and Peter had been devouring Pumpkin Pasties.

"So this is our last year, huh?" said Remus, determinedly keeping the subject off Lily – for now.

"Yeah," said James, stuffing his mouth with a Pumpkin Pasty.

He took out a Snitch from his pocket and distractedly began to play with it; he seemed to be thinking hard. Peter opened his mouth to say something, but, catching the sharp look from Remus, he reluctantly fell silent.

"So what happened, mate?" Sirius asked enthusiastically.

Remus let out a tiny groan – he had hoped they would stay off that subject until James started it.

"Well," said James simply, "it could've been worse."

"Did you make a fool out of yourself?" Remus said briskly.

"No – well I hope not." Then he added, "This is so much harder than it seems."

Sirius shrugged.

"That's life, Prongs. But I'm really starting to think Evans likes you. She just –doesn't –realize it yet."

"I don't get it," said James, "I mean, I've liked her for ages. Why doesn't she see-"

"That's the thing, mate," said Sirius, bringing his fist to his lap, "girls are SO confused!"

He went into a long rant about girls, and all James had to do was nod in agreement.

His mind wandered to Lily – was Padfoot right – did she like him more, now? Did she feel the same way he did right now, sitting in the compartment full of other Gryffindor girls?

XXXXX

The Gryffindors were queued outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, waiting for the other students and their new teacher. Lily was standing inches from James. He seized this opportunity to talk to her.

"So- er- how was your summer?" he asked.

"Oh- it was okay, you know…quite boring, actually. How about you?"

"It was fine. Padfoot came to stay with us this summer, actually."

"That's great!" she said. "Are you excited about our last year?"

"Not really," James admitted, looking around at all the surrounding students. "I'm always going to miss this place."

She smiled in an understanding way.

"I know what you mean. I feel the same way," said Lily.

They stopped talking as the door opened, and all the students went inside the classroom.

A short teacher who looked slightly like a walrus was standing in the front of the room.

"Hello, class," he said dully as the class settled in. "My name is Professor Falx. As you know, I am your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

The teacher went on, giving his introduction about the subject. James was only half-listening. He looked at Lily, who was taking notes on a spare piece of parchment, listening attentively. His stomach felt slightly queasy. They had just had a perfectly casual conversation, and her attitude had been slightly different towards him in the past few days.

"Now, can someone demonstrate a Patronus for me, please?"

James' hand shot up in the air, along with Remus, Lily, and many others. Professor Falx pointed at James.

"And your name is Mr.…"

"Potter, sir," said James.

He confidently walked to the front of the class, determinedly trying not to look at Lily.

Then, gathering up the happiest feeling he had in seven years, he said "_Expecto Patronum_!"

XXXXX

As they left from Defense Against the Dark Arts to go to break, Snape was throwing James a look of deep loathing, the dislike etched in his sallow face deeper than usual.

"Hey Snivelly, what pants are you wearing today?" Sirius asked in a tone of mock curiosity as several surrounding students snickered. "We'll find out soon, won't we?"

"Not now, Padfoot," James muttered. "I just had a good, casual conversation with Lily. I don't want to ruin her new impression of me-"

"Hey, nice job, mate!" said Remus, "Did you notice how she couldn't keep her eyes off you when you were demonstrating your Patronus?"

The sun seemed to be shining brighter than usual that morning, and James had never before appreciated how beautiful Hogwarts was.

* * *

**Okay, so this is my first time showing James' thoughts. I liked the Professor's name- it took me like 5 minutes to come up with it. I named him Professor Falx, because in Latin it means weapon, and I thought that was a good name for a random Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. This is probably the happiest chapter there will be, when I finished writing it, **_**I**_** felt really happy for some reason. Please REVIEW!!!**


	9. The Change

Chapter 8: The Change

Lily sat in the Library with Marlene, doing their homework for the weekend. It had been about two months since school started, and they were packed with homework to prepare for the N.E.W.T.s.

"Lily?" said Marlene.

"Hm?"

"I never got to ask you, what do you think of the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?"

"Er…well, he's okay. We've had so many Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers already, it's hard to tell what's different about him than the other teachers."

"I know! I reckon the job is jinxed…we've never had one teacher for more than a y-"

Yolanda dropped her book bag in front of them with a loud _CLUNK_, looking thoroughly disgruntled.

"What's wrong?" Marlene asked.

"Potter had to tell a few Slytherins off for cursing a couple of first years! I swear, they're so _annoying_!"

"What did they do?" Marlene asked.

Yolanda shook her head.

"I dunno…but it looked really scary. You should have seen Professor McGonagall. She was _outraged_!"

"I don't blame her," said Marlene in an undertone, "I wouldn't be the slightest bit surprised if they all became Death Eaters!"

"It's _evil_, that's what it is," Lily agreed.

Just then, James walked into the Library and went over to their table.

"Hello," he said pleasantly.

"Hey. What happened with those Slytherins?" Lily asked, concerned.

"Oh, you've heard," said James. "Well, they used a really scary curse. I dunno what it was – they must've invented it or something."

The girls looked even more frightened.

"Right – well – the reason I came here – Lily, we're supposed to supervise the corridors – you know, make sure no one else throws another curse at the younger students…"

"Okay," said Lily, "See you guys, then," she added to her friends.

"See you," they called to her as she followed James out of the library.

They walked for a few minutes in silence.

"Those foul Slytherins," James said after a while, "I could be catching up on my homework right now!"

Lily laughed.

"Yeah, but honestly. They're so…_evil_."

"_That_ is an understatement."

"You know," said Lily after a few moments of silence, "you've changed so much this year."

He turned to face her, slightly puzzled.

"In a good way," she added, smiling. "I like it."

* * *

**Okay, that was the shortest chapter so far, but anyways, I REALLY wanted to add those bits of Lily/James. The next chapter will be about Sev…he's kind of been forgotten in THIS chapter. **


	10. His Fault

Chapter 9: His Fault

Severus settled himself on a chair in the Common Room. He was feeling slightly down today. He had noticed (and he certainly hoped he was imagining it) that Lily was a bit friendlier with Potter these days, and it made him want to jinx Potter into a Chocolate Frog. Or do something worse to him.

Potter already had enough privileges; he didn't need Lily as much as Severus did…

He knew _he_ really needed Lily, and more than ever now…

_They had been sitting by the river in silence, and Severus would frequently pick up fallen leaves and shred them to pieces._

_"Sev?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"Are you – alright? You look sort of down…"_

_"I'm fine."_

_Lily still looked unconvinced. _

_"Are things getting any better at your house?"_

_"Well, not really. They could be worse, though."_

_"Your dad - does he hit you?" _

_"He used to. But he's stopped ever since I started going to Hogwarts." _

_Lily looked concerned. She found his hand and took it in hers; as soon as she had touched it, his fingers relaxed…_

Feeling exhausted, Severus went to the dormitories to get some sleep.

XXXXX

Lily and Mary walked into the Great Hall to the Gryffindor table, sitting across from James and Remus.

"Hi James, hi Remus," said Lily brightly.

"Hello," they chorused.

"So, what've you been doing all afternoon?"

"Homework," said James.

"You're kidding," Mary joked.

"By the way, Moony, where's Padfoot and Wormtail?" James asked.

Remus shrugged.

"In the detention, probably."

"Mind you, Moony, I still have to do Professor Falx's essay."

"Me too," said Mary. "Do you like him?"

"I think he sort of looks like a walrus," James admitted, as everyone laughed.

XXXXX

Severus felt slightly sick as he watched the Gryffindors laughing at something they obviously found very amusing.

He didn't touch his food, as he watched with disgust the Lily was joining in with her fellow Gryffindors' conversation.

How he longed to talk to Lily…he hadn't had a direct conversation with her for a whole year now, all because of one stupid word…

It was all Potter's fault – why did he have to humiliate Severus in the first place?

Blaming it on Potter, Severus found very helpful, as he half-heartedly finished his dinner.

Yet, as he walked back to the dormitories, he knew deep down that it was his fault that he had lost his best friend.

* * *

**Two words. Please REVIEW!!!**


	11. Arrogant Toerag

Chapter 10: Arrogant Toerag

"Are you staying here for the Christmas holidays?" Alice asked at breakfast one cold December day.

"Can't, sorry, Al," said Lily. "My parents want me to visit them, and I think I should try to patch things up with my sister…"

Her voice trailed away, but Alice nodded understandingly, though she was a bit disappointed.

James and Sirius just walked in and sat down across from them.

"Hi guys," Alice and Lily chorused.

"Hello," said James, "are you ready for Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

"I think I did a really bad job on the essay!" Alice said.

"Yeah, well…" James said.

The Gryffindors finished their breakfast, and, as usual, they were the first ones to file outside of Professor Falx's classroom. The Slytherins filed behind them soon after that.

"Ooh…Potter, I hope you're not standing _too_ near the Mudblood…you wouldn't want her sliming up your hair, would you?" Bellatrix Black guffawed.

Lily watched him clench his fist.

"Don't bother," she said in an undertone, "she's not worth it."

"Are you sure you don't want me to hex her? I can reach her pretty well from here-"

"Don't give her the satisfaction of annoying you," she said.

The classroom door opened, and they took their seats inside the classroom.

"Class, we will be practicing non verbal Disarming charms, just to see what level you're at with non verbals. Get into pairs, everyone."

James immediately moved toward Lily before one of her friends could.

"D'you want to-"

"Sure," she said, smiling slightly.

XXXXX

Severus watched Potter enviously from the corner of his eye as he practiced his Disarming charm with Avery.

Out of all the people, why did _Potter_ have to be paired with Lily? Why couldn't Potter just be with one of his mates?

As he watched them, he remembered something she had said to him…

_"…I don't like some of the people you're hanging around with! I'm sorry, but I detest Avery and Mulciber! __Mulciber!__ What do you see in him, Sev? He's creepy! D'you know what he tried to do to Mary Macdonald the other day?"_

_"That was nothing. It was a laugh, that's all -"_

_"It was Dark Magic, and if you think that's funny -"_

_"What about the stuff Potter and his mates get up to?"_

_"What's Potter got to do with anything?"_

_"They sneak out at night. There's something weird about that Lupin. Where does he keep going?" _

_"He's ill. They say he's ill -"_

_"Every month at the full moon?"_

_"I know your theory. Why are you so obsessed with them, anyway? Why do you care what they're doing at night?"_

_"I'm just trying to show you they're not as wonderful as everyone seems to think they are." _

_"They don't use Dark Magic, though. And you're being really ungrateful. I heard what happened the other night. You went sneaking down that tunnel by the Whomping Willow and James Potter saved you from whatever's down there -"_

_"Saved? Saved? You think he was playing the hero? He was saving his own neck and his friends' too! You're not going to – I won't let you -"_

_"__Let__ me? __Let__ me?"_

_"I didn't mean – I just don't want to see you made a fool of – he fancies you, James Potter fancies you! And he's not … Everyone thinks …Big Quidditch hero-"_

_"I know James Potter's an arrogant toerag." _

As Severus watched Lily disarm Potter, he couldn't stop himself thinking that lots of things had changed between then and now.

XXXXX

It was the last day before the Christmas holidays. James was feeling extremely nervous.

"Hey, mate, why do you look so pale?" Sirius asked at breakfast.

James didn't answer.

"Hello?"

Sirius poured James a glass of Pumpkin Juice.

"This'll help, I think," he said as James took it gratefully.

Remus walked into the Great Hall and sat next to James, looking shabbier than ever.

"What's with you two today?" Sirius asked incredulously.

Remus looked at James' nervous, pale face, and gave Sirius a leave-him-alone-you-know-what-it's-all-about look. Sirius shrugged and helped himself to some toast.

The day went on, and James remained nervous the whole time. After double Potions in the afternoon, the Gryffindors walked behind everyone else.

"Hey – James, why do you look so nervous today?" Lily asked him. "You haven't really talked much."

James quickly surveyed his thoughts and made his final decision – he was going to do it.

"It's just that…Lily…I've been meaning to ask you for about seven years, now…will you- will you go out with me?"

Lily rolled her eyes.

"_That's_ why you're so nervous? You've asked me that at least a thousand times last year – and the year before-"

"Well – you know – I was hoping I would get a different answer this time-"

Lily thought about it for a moment.

"I've been thinking – maybe you will get a different answer this time."

His face lit up.

"Just give me time, okay? I'll think about it, and I'll tell you as soon as Christmas holidays are over, sounds good?"

"Sounds great!" he said, the color returning to his face.

As they went back to the Common Room, James felt happier than he'd ever felt in seven years.

* * *

**I finally get to upload this chapter!!! Yay!!! Poor Sev, though :( Please review!!!**


	12. Prongs' Good Luck

**Okay, so far, this was the hardest chapter to write; I've been having a writers' block for like 5 hours. I wrote a LOT of chapters this weekend though. I may not be able to update that fast again until next weekend. I may do one chapter every 2-3 days, but I also have a lot of homework to keep up with.**

* * *

Chapter 11: Prongs' Good Luck

James headed back to the Gryffindor tower and joined his friends.

"Hey, Prongs, how'd it go?" asked Remus excitedly.

"Great, obviously," Sirius said, grinning, "look how pleased he looks."

"What happened?" Remus asked, and Peter peered at them interestedly, too.

James recounted what Lily had said.

"That's great!" said Remus. "I told you she would like you if you didn't make a fool out of yourself!"

James nodded, and as he chatted happily with his friends, he felt that besides the pile of homework they had, this year so far had been the best by far.

XXXXX

Severus always stayed at Hogwarts during the Christmas holidays, not wanting to endure his parents' arguing. There were many people who stayed over the holidays this year so they could prepare for the N.E.W.T.s.

Lily always went home during the holidays, and she did this year, too. Luckily, Potter and his mates (except for Lupin) had gone home for the holidays, so Severus did not have to endure their unpleasant presence.

That morning, he felt thoroughly exhausted, and decided to take a break from homework. He almost seriously considered going to the library to look for a Potions book in which he would find instructions on how to poison Potter. Potter still seemed to find enough time to jinx Severus, or make nasty remarks that everyone seemed to find awfully amusing. He was careful, Severus noticed, not to make a scene out of it when Lily was around.

Severus had made it a habit to have his wand ready whenever he caught sight of that pitch-black messy hair that he despised so much, ready to throw a random curse at him, but Potter was too quick for him – he always seemed to think of a fresh jinx to entertain the surrounding students.

The Christmas holidays ended so fast, it felt like it had just began. The students who had gone home over the holidays soon had started to come back.

Severus watched bitterly as Lily was giggling at something James had said as they were queued outside Potions. Her bright green eyes were shining vigorously, with her long, dark red hair falling lightly onto the back of her robes.

He tried not to think about her as the class filed into the room and started practicing non-verbal Shield charms.

His fellow Slytherins were goofing around, with desperate measures to disrupt the class. He tried to concentrate on his charm, but he found himself every now and then watching Lily from the corner of his eyes.

XXXXX

"Lily! Hey – LILY!"

James ran after her and caught her halfway down the corridor.

"Hi," she said, "I'm so worn-out, aren't you?"

James shrugged.

"Yes, but, you still haven't answered by question."

When she still looked confused, he added, "The one I had right before the Christmas holidays."

"Oh," she said, "Right."

She looked slightly pink.

"You know, there's another Hogsmeade visit next month," James said encouragingly. "D'you want to come with me?"

"Sure," she said, beaming. "Well, see you there."

"See you."

As James walked away, his head was spinning.

_That was way too easy, _he thought. And then it all came down to him. He had a date. He, James Potter, had a date with Lily Evans.

He practically skipped off to the Common Room.

"What happened?" Sirius asked as James climbed through the portrait hole. "She said yes, didn't she?"

When James nodded, Sirius said, "I knew she'd say yes eventually! I told you she liked you, Prongs!"

"What are you shouting about?" asked a weary looking Remus, who had just stepped into the Common Room.

"Prongs got a date with Evans," Sirius sang.

"That's great! Didn't I always say you would?"

None of them answered.

"Anyways, you two," Remus pointed rather accusingly at James and Sirius, "had better finish Professor McGonagall's essay."

Sirius stared.

"How can you talk about homework on such a happy occasion?" said Sirius jadedly.

"Yeah, Moony," James agreed crossly.

"Look, it's you guys who are behind with your homework," said Remus as he left the room. "Not my problem."

James and Sirius rolled their eyes at each other for a moment, and reluctantly took out their homework.

* * *

**Yay! I'll try to upload tomorrow, but I can't promise. Pretty, Pretty Please REVIEW!!!!!**


	13. Why Potter?

**Okay, here you go, another chapter, (pretty short though :( ) AND one with Sev. That said, you can kind of guess what the chapter'll be about based on the title of the chapter. Just my interpretation on what could have happened. Please Read and REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!**

**PS: Thx a lot, Falling.Twilight, 4 remaining my faithful reviewer :)**** xoxo**

**PPS+ everyone else who ACTUALLY reviews!!! (glances at the crowd of other ppl) **

* * *

Chapter 12: Why Potter?

Severus was sitting in a hard, high-backed chair in the Common Room, laughing with Avery, Nott, Rosier, Lestrange, and Black. Many newspaper clippings lay on the floor with headings of various attacks on Muggle-borns.

"Those Gryffindors are such egg-heads," said Avery loudly.

"Especially Potter. He makes a scene at Quidditch matches and thinks everyone should treat him like royalty," said Rosier, imitating Potter messing up his hair.

Everyone gave out a wholehearted laugh, especially Bellatrix Black, who was shrieking with laughter.

Just then, a first year boy came timidly to their group.

"I-I'm s-s-supposed t-to give this to Nott," he stuttered.

He handed Nott a scroll of parchment tied with a violet ribbon.

Nott took it, his face brick red and bellowed at the boy, "Get lost, then!"

The boy scampered away as fast as he could.

"What is that, Nott?" said Lestrange, snatching it away.

"Bit of parchment," Nott mumbled, trying and failing to look as though he didn't have a clue what it was.

Lestrange read it and threw it on the ground.

"What a load of rubbish," he said. "Well, have fun at Slughorn's party."

"_You_ got invited to one of those?" said Rosier.

Nott didn't answer.

"Well," said Avery, sneering, "I suppose if you don't need it, I can get rid of it for you. _Evanesco_."

The parchment vanished.

"Well," said Lestrange, "I think Slughorn's wasting his time. I supposed he invited that Evans girl as well?"

Nott nodded.

"Shame," said Rosier in a tone of mock-despair, "good looks have to be wasted on scum like that."

Severus slightly clenched his fist.

"Everyone thinks she's such a princess," said Bellatrix acrimoniously. "And according to the latest rumors, I don't think much of her taste."

All of them snickered except for Severus.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Oh, haven't you heard?" Lestrange asked as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"She's going out with Potter now," said Avery monotonously.

Severus tried to laugh with the rest of them as the conversation proceeded, but he had an absolutely horrible, sinking feeling in his stomach.

XXXXX

As Severus tried to fall asleep, Avery's voice echoed in his head; _"She's going out with Potter now."_

He felt like throwing something; like smashing Potter's inflated head into the walls every time he remembered that sentence.

Why Potter?

* * *

**Yeah, sorry, that's pretty much the whole chapter. I liked the end like that, so…**


	14. Mid story Note, View!

**Hey Peeps! The story's NOT over yet, I just thought this was a good place for an entire chapter full of comments.**

**First of all, I want to thank all of my reviewers, and keep reviewing! If there weren't any reviews, I would stop writing, I'm dead serious! And anyone else who's kept up with this story so far, I owe you; I know what it's like to read a multi-chapter fanfic on the computer, and I definitely prefer books!!!**

**Now, I want to comment on a segment of a review from vanawillemiel:**

_**i always think lily would have regretted not befriending snape again. everyone seems to portray her so stupid and girly to follow james and never think back on what she had done when she left snape. then again snape is the most stubbourn person there. **_

**I like your thinking a LOT, I would imagine Lily must've missed Sev for sure, but she eventually would move on. Otherwise, she would never marry James, and the HP series probably wouldn't exist. I know some fics like to think that Lily never liked James and dated him to make Severus jealous, but honestly, I think Lily is a mature, kind person and she would NEVER date someone to make someone else jealous (tho a lot of girls DO that). Though I do imagine that SOME point in her life, she did like Sev (in that way), remember how in The Prince's Tale, it said Snape was gazing at her and she was blushing? That obviously wasn't randomly thrown in there; it definitely MEANT something. And I know some of you may think it's SICK, and, like, who in their right minds would fall for such a greasy haired slimeball, but I'm pretty sure Lily wasn't the kind of person who was too hypercritical about looks.**

**The next review I want to comment on is by vg3778:**

_**I also think that Lily should start realizing she likes James only in further chapters...but anyways..I loved the LilyXSev stuff xD  
brilliantly written!!  
What I didn't quite like was the ending of chapter 4..LOL..not that it was sucky, but I think you could've done better wink  
And the Quidditch match was so short :(**_

**Yes, I KNOW the 4th Chapter was really sucky…well the end was. I will change it, I just can't think of any ideas, so if anyone has any inspiration, please tell me. And about the Quidditch match, well…the whole point of it was to make it short – I want to display that James is a good and fast seeker and everything.**

**I also want to comment on some ppl who think Snape should've ended up happy; I'm sorry, but I hate writing AU, and the main reason ppl feel bad for him is because he was a MORON and STUPIDLY insulted his BFF and his secret love, and EVEN THEN, joined those Firebolt-ing Death Eaters!!! So anyways, my attitude towards Sev fluctuates; I've been feeling rather annoyed at him these days, he had to make all those RASH decisions in his valueless life!!!**

**Okay, and the last thing I must do is CREDIT everything!!!**

**As Lady Charity pointed out in her review of Chapter 8:**

_**I think it's cute how James never appreciated how beautiful Hogwarts is, and in the books, Harry never appreciated how beautiful Hogsmeade is. Yup, they're relatives! lol. THis is a cute chapter, nice JamesxLily shipping. Nice work!**_

**Yes, I'm impressed that you caught that : )!!! I did get the idea from the OOTP, Chapter 16. Sorry, it sounded a bit too much like the book. I was JUST looking over it. Good job catching it though (high five). That was BY FAR my favorite Chapter so far.**

**Okay, now, all the little scenes with the Marauders (or at least 3 of them), I mean, I completely owe ANYONE who has written a James/Lily fanfic, because I have read SO many of them and I got SOOO much inspiration from ALL of them, you all should give yourselves a pat on the back, Nice Job : ) !!!!**

**Then, like I've already said, the memory about the first train ride is completely inspired by Harry's first train ride in SS. I actually had the book open while writing that, and I have to admit, I was pleased by the outcome of it.**

**And again, thanks to Falling.Twilight, because hey, this story wouldn't even BE here if I hadn't read The Lost Moments, I mean, seriously, I feel like a complete outcast in FF writing compared 2 you!**

**AND JKR!!! JKR is a GENIOUS. I am trying out her writing style, that's why I have to credit the HP series for SO many things. My life would be a complete DUD without Harry Potter; I would DIE of despair! That's not even saying half of it – those of you who haven't read HP, you're missing out on THE WORLD!!!**

**Ok, enough said, I'm going to try to start the next chapter.**

**Again, THANK YOU, Readers and Reviewers (especially Falling.Twilight) and JKR, I LOOOOVE YOU (don't worry, JK).**

**XOXOXO,**

**Mandy**


	15. Trouble with Snivellus

Chapter 13: Trouble with Snivellus

_"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!"_

The words echoed in Severus's head over and over as he sat in the grass, writing his Transfiguration essay in his own miniscule handwriting.

Just then, he caught sight of that horribly familiar messy black hair and quickly drew his wand out.

"Sectum-"

"Levicorpus!" James yelled as Severus was hoisted in the air upside-down.

Severus felt a thrill of dread as James continued taunting him with various hexes.

XXXXX

"Prongs, watch out," Sirius muttered. "McGonagall _and_ Evans are by the Entrance."

James looked sideways. Sure enough, Professor McGonagall was walking briskly towards the Entrance, and Lily was chatting with Alice as they walked out of the Entrance toward the lake. Very fortunately for James, none of them noticed Snape dangling upside-down in midair.

There was crash as Snape tumbled downwards. He struggled to his feet, picked up his book bag and dashed away, while James and Sirius were also hurrying out of the crowd as if they had nothing to do with it.

XXXXX

"Padfoot?" said James in a troubled voice after a long time of sitting at dinnertime in silence.

"Yes, Prongs?" said Sirius.

"What will happen when Lily finds out I was hexing Snivellus? She'll kill me!"

"Chill, mate," said Sirius easily. "What Evans doesn't know won't hurt. And besides, who's going to tell her?"

James still looked unconvinced.

"Look, IF she did find out, it's not your fault, I mean, who was aiming a curse at you first? Snivellus never misses the opportunity to curse us in the first place, so why shouldn't you prevent that? You're actually doing a good thing."

James looked skeptically at Sirius.

"That's all just a backup, if the unlikely event occurs that she finds out," Sirius added hastily.

Remus, who had just walked into the Hall, sat across from them.

"Hey Moony, how's your furry little problem?" James asked.

" 'Till next month," Remus replied, stuffing his mouth.

"Prong's been having some trouble with Snivelly," Sirius said.

Remus looked alarmed.

"You haven't been hexing him _again_!"

"Yes, and please don't tell Lily!" James pleaded.

Remus glared at him reproachfully.

"No, of course I won't, but you really shouldn't have done it. Not just because of Lily, but also, you _are_ Head Boy…"

"Shut it, Moony," said Sirius. "Prongs was just having a laugh, weren't you, Pr-"

James was looking down at his dinner plate.

"Since when have you been so goody-goody?" Sirius demanded.

James didn't answer.

"Well, in my opinion, you two have lost your mind. Doesn't anyone care about all the curses Snivellus tries on us? If James hadn't defended himself, he would have ended up like those first years went a few months ago. Do you honestly want that to happen to the rest of the school?"

"Prongs, we won't tell Lily," Remus said, "don't worry. Just try to control yourself next time and make sure it doesn't happen again."

James nodded curtly and finished his dinner.

* * *

**Okay, I wrote this chapter based on what Sirius said in OOTP about how James still hexed Snape after he started dating Lily, but she didn't know too much about it. It was a short chappie...I better get back to my long chapter habbit. **


	16. The Date

**Yeah!!! Finally another chapter!!!! I've been having writers block…and I couldn't write…but it's the weekend! Hurray!!!**

**But, you know, I SUCK at romantic writing, so I'm only skimming the surface of Lily and James' relationship. Please, no flames. You can (wink) criticize if you want, though.**

* * *

Chapter 14: The Date

"Lily! Hey, Lily! Wait up!" James yelled, dashing up the corridors.

Lily stopped, turning around and smiled at him as she waited for him to catch up.

"Hi, James," she said, taking his extended arm.

"Hey," he panted. "What's up? How are you doing?"

"Fine, you know," she responded. "Everything's gone by so _quick_ – before you know it, we'll be gone."

"Yeah," James said, gazing at her, taking in her beauty. "Well – I guess that's how it goes. There isn't really anything we can do about it."

"Hmm," she murmured.

"Er – Lily? Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," she said, smiling.

"Er – you know about…Saturday?"

She nodded.

"Can you meet me outside the Three Broomsticks, then?"

"Sure, anything you want," she said.

XXXXX

James dressed more carefully than usual that Saturday, and flashed his friends a wide grin that morning when he walked into the Great Hall.

"Hey Prongs, today's your big day, isn't it?" Sirius said cheerfully.

James nodded and sat down.

"Don't you want to eat anything?" Remus asked, concerned. "You know you need energy for your-"

"Shut it, Moony," Sirius said dismissively, "Leave Prongs alone for a while."

He eyed James and looked back at Remus. Remus nodded.

After breakfast, with Sirius and Remus calling good-lucks to him, James departed and went to the Three Broomsticks to find Lily.

He spotted her, waiting for him. He carefully walked over to her, breathing hard.

"Hey," he said.

"Hi!" she greeted him cheerfully.

There was a little silence, and then James said, "Er – shall we sit down, then?"

"Oh – why not?"

They sat down in a table by the corner.

After James ordered two butterbeers, he sighed and gazed at Lily.

"So – how've you been getting along?" Lily asked.

"Fine," said James. "There's only four more months left of school," he added.

"I know," sighed Lily. "I wish it were longer…"

The conversation progressed, as they talked about different teachers, and then what they were planning to do after school. James found it surprisingly easy to talk to her; it was almost like he had already had many dates with her before. By the time they were on their way back to the castle, he felt confident that he could _do_ this.

"Okay, well, I'll see you, I guess," said Lily.

"Yeah. Listen – thank you – for coming with me. We should do it again sometime."

"Yeah – of course," Lily replied.

James grinned.

"Okay…well…I guess…I should be off right now."

"Yeah – see you around then."

"Bye," he replied.

He watched her leave until her dark red hair disappeared. Then, he rushed up to the Common Room, with a light feeling of exhilaration in his stomach.

"Hey Padfoot, hey Moony," he grinned, walking into the Common Room. "Hey Wormtail."

"Er – based on the look on your face, it went well?" Remus asked.

James grinned wordlessly.

"Okay, then it went awesome."

"Good job, mate!" Sirius said enthusiastically, slapping him on the back.

At last when James opened his mouth to speak, he said, "Ah, I love my life."

"Wow, has Evans poisoned you or something?" Sirius joked.

James grinned.

"Well done!" said Remus.

"_And_ I have another date."

"Wow," said Sirius. "This year is turning out not to be a complete waste after all."

"Nope," said James. "Not at all."

* * *

**Ok, sorry if you hate it, I'll try to make the upcoming chapters more interesting. Sorry!**

**PS: I'm all dressed up for a costume party right now and I look freaky!!! **


	17. Prongs' Plan

Chapter 15: Prongs' Plan

Severus sighed as he sat in his usual spot in the grass one warm April afternoon. One month. It would just be one month until he would be off. Then he could do something much more useful – he hoped he could use it against Potter or Black to get back at them. Someday.

But now, it was just a regular Thursday afternoon.

"Hey, Snivellus!"

_Oh no_, Severus groaned to himself. _Not – again –_

"Are you done dripping grease on your essay, Snivelly?" Black called derisively.

Severus chose to ignore this remark – he had figured out these two long years that the best thing to do was to ignore.

Though to Severus' surprise, Potter, who was right beside Black, was acting as if he had not noticed.

"See ya later, Snivelly!" Black called as he followed Potter back to Entrance Hall.

What was with them today?

XXXXX

"Wormtail, how many Pumpkin Pasties are you going to eat until Pince catches you?" Sirius said as he and James joined Remus and Peter in the library.

Peter shrugged and helped himself to another Pumpkin Pasty. Remus, on the other hand, was deeply absorbed in his book, _Transfiguration Today_.

"That was a close one last week, wasn't it?" Sirius asked in an undertone, and the four of them laughed, recounting the events of their transformation the week before.

"So, how's it going with Evans?" Sirius asked James after a few minutes.

"Great," said James, grinning.

"Hey, mate," said Sirius slowly, "I hate to break it down to you, but you two have got to start wrapping it up soon. I mean – we've only got one month of school left-"

James looked up quickly.

"No! I don't want to just end the relationship now…"

He fingered his chin tentatively.

"No offense, mate," said Sirius, "but that's life. I mean, you guys aren't going to end up married or something-"

But James was looking up triumphantly.

"_That's_ what I've got to do! I've got to ask her. And soon…before it's…too late…"

James got up.

"I'll see you later, guys!"

He ran out of the library, leaving a _very _confused Sirius looking incredulously at James' retreating figure.

* * *

**Okay, sorry guys, but I'm going to skip the proposal (BOOs from the crowd) sorry! It's just that I've seen SO MANY variations of it; I'll leave _that_ part up to you. **

**Next chapter is going straight to King's Cross. **

**Hope you liked this short chappie!!! **


	18. Goodbyes

**Sorry about how short this chapter is… **

* * *

Chapter 16: Goodbyes

James stepped out of the barrier between platforms nine and ten, perhaps for the last time of his life. He waved at his distant parents, and signaled for them to wait for him.

Then, he waited for Lily to come through. When she finally did, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into a tight embrace, planting kisses on the top of her head.

"I'll miss you," he said quietly.

"I'll miss you too," she said, with a sad smile on her face. "But hey, we'll see each other soon, won't we?"

"Yeah," he said, grinning slightly.

"Don't forget to owl me, okay?" she asked.

"Of course not."

"Alright – I guess that's it, isn't it?" she said, biting her lip.

James put his arm around her comfortingly.

"Don't worry. I'll see you as soon as I can, okay?"

"Okay. Well…bye, James."

"See you soon."

XXXXX

Severus watched Lily's dark read head following her parents until it disappeared in the crowd.

It was _over_. His seven years of magical education were over.

He watched all the other ex-Hogwarts students pile out from the barrier and blend in with the crowd packed with muggles.

And then, now was his chance to prove himself – to prove himself more then that greasy haired kid from school. He would show them – Potter and Black in particular – that he was much more powerful than them.

Slowly, he walked, pulling his trunk behind him until he blended in with the Muggle world.


	19. Three Years Later

**This chapter has two parts, one of Sev & Dumblydore, and the next with HP, JP, & LP.**

* * *

Chapter 17: Three Years Later

XXXXX THREE YEARS LATER XXXXX

Severus stood on a hilltop, shivering with his cloak billowing. He gripped his wand tightly, panting.

It had all gone wrong. This wasn't supposed to happen!

There was a blinding jet of white jagged light; _he_ had arrived.

Severus dropped to his knees.

"Don't kill me!" he pleaded.

"That was not my intention," Dumbledore said calmly. "Well, Severus? What message does Lord Voldemort have for me?"

Message? Why would he be bringing Dumbledore a _message?_

"No – no message – I'm here on my own account! I – I come with a warning – no, a request – please-"

"What request could a Death Eater make of me?"

Severus flinched violently.

"The – the prophecy … the prediction … Trelawney …"

"Ah, yes," said Dumbledore calmly, yet a hint of anger in his voice. "How much did you relay to Lord Voldemort?"

"Everything – everything I heard! That is why – it is for that reason – he thinks it means Lily Evans!"

"The prophecy did not refer to a woman. It spoke of a boy born at the end of July-"

"You know what I mean!" Severus interjected, agitated. "He thinks it means her son, he is going to hunt her down – kill them all-"

The moment he said the last part, he wished he hadn't.

"If she means so much to you, surely Lord Voldemort will spare her? Could you not ask for mercy for the mother, in exchange for the son?"

"I have – I have asked him-"

Severus' voice was hoarse, almost a whisper.

"You disgust me," Dumbledore said, his voice full of bitter contempt. "You do not care, then, about the deaths of her husband and child? They can die, as long as you can have what you want?"

Severus was silent, looking up into his wrinkled face.

"Hide them all, then, " Keep her – them – safe. Please."

"And what will you give me in return, Severus?"

"In – in return?"  
Severus looked at him, astonished? In _return_? He thought of Lily, and her eyes seemed to be pleading.

"Anything."

Now he could only hope she would be unharmed.

XXXXX

SWISH.

One-year-old Harry Potter zoomed past his father on his new toy broomstick, giggling with excitement.

"James, are you keeping an eye on Harry?" Lily called from the bedroom, laughing.

"Yup, don't worry, Lily," James said reassuringly.

Lily came out of the room and exchanged a swift kiss with her husband and then sat down on a chair next to James.

"What's the matter?" she asked him, looking concerned.

"Nothing," he said brusquely.

Lily eyed him suspiciously.

"Are you sure? You seem really frustrated lately."

"Oh – no, it's fine, really," he said.

Lily sighed, and put her arm around James.

"Hopefully, this'll all be over soon," she said, gazing up at the ceiling.

"Yeah."

Just then, Harry swished past them.

"He'll make a great Quidditch player someday," said James proudly.

Lily smiled.

"That reminds me, I should really owl Padfoot and thank him for the birthday gift," said Lily.

"Hmm," James said distractedly.

He looked out of the window longingly. How he wished he could go out and be part of some kind of action – but no, ever since Dumbledore had been warned about some kind of prophecy involving their one-year-old son, he and Lily had been shut up in this house, with nothing to do but supervise Harry playing on his toy broomstick he had gotten for his birthday.

The last thing James wanted was for Lily to be worried in any way – or for her to feel responsible for James' mood. He loved her, he really did, but he just wanted to be able to do something more useful instead of sitting and in the house with nothing to do but worry about their safety.

"I'm going to write a letter to Padfoot, okay?" Lily said.

"Sure," said James.

"Keep an eye on Harry, alright?"

"Yeah, don't worry, I will…"

* * *

**Hope U liked it: ) **


	20. October 31st, 1981

**Well…uh…based on the title of this chapter, you can probably guess what it's about…**

* * *

Chapter 18: October 31st, 1981

Lily walked into the sitting room, where James was entertaining Harry by making puffs of colored smoke erupt from his wand.

"Here, James," she said, laughing as Harry tried to catch the smoke in his tiny hands, "I'm going to take Harry for a bath, okay?"

" 'Kay," said James, as he scooped Harry in his arms, handing him to Lily. She cradled him back and forth in her arms, carrying him out of the sitting room as James stretched back, relaxing on the couch.

Something was not right. There was a loud burst, and James was dashing into the hall.

"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off-"

Lily's heart was racing, and she could feel the loud thumping. She thought of James – how was he supposed to hold _him_ off?

She took her son and sprinted up the stairs into the bedroom, screaming with panic.

She thought quickly about how to delay him – to stop him from getting to Harry. She piled boxes against the door, knowing it would be useless, but would do anything to delay his arrival –

He was there. She hastily dropped Harry in the cot and spread her arms wide around the cot protectively, shielding Harry from view.

"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!" she pleaded miserably.

"Stand aside, you silly girl … stand aside, now…"

She thought as quickly as she could. She would do anything for her son right now…she would die for him –

"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead-"

"This is my last warning-"

Lily was practically sobbing now.

"Not Harry! Please…have mercy…have mercy…Not Harry! Not Harry! Please – I'll do anything-"

"Stand aside – stand aside, girl-"

But Lily did not budge. She kept her arms outstretched until she saw a flash of green light, and she knew no more.


	21. Slipped Away

Chapter 19: Slipped Away

_"I don't need filthy little Mudbloods like her!"_

That one word. That one disgusting word had caused it. Severus felt like throwing something at the wall; like shattering it into a million pieces.

_"I thought… you were going … to keep her … safe…" _

He refused to believe it. He refused to believe that she was gone; he would never see her curtain of dark red hair gently falling over her face or her bright green eyes sparkling with emotion…

_"Does it make a difference, being Muggle-born?" _

_"No. It doesn't make any difference." _

He could almost see her, sitting by the river right next to him, _with_ him…

_"…you call everyone of my birth Mudblood, Severus. Why should I be any be any different?"_

_"…If you loved Lily Evans, if you truly loved her, then your way forward is clear."_

Why did this have to happen to him?

_"You're … you're a witch."_

_"That's not a very nice thing to say to somebody!"_

_"Sev, we'll still be best friends, right? I mean, we're not in the same house and everything-"_

_"Of course we will!"_

But they hadn't. And they had both ignored it – they had both ignored their differences, and their friendship slowly…delicately crumbling into nothingness right in front of their eyes.

_"You remember the shape and color of Lily Evans's eyes, I am sure?"_

_"DON'T! Gone … Dead…"_

With the last bit of strength Severus had left, he said, _"Expecto Patronum!"_

A dazzling, silver doe burst from the tip of his wand, but lasted only for a second, and then slipped away in thin air.

She was gone; she had slipped away just like the silver doe.

"_We'll __always__ be friends, right?"_

"_Always."_


	22. Author's Note

**Okay, so I know that was shorter than some fics, but it was longer than any completed story I have ever written before. EVER. And it was my first one (Hurray!).**

**Okay, so the first person I want to thank is Falling.Twilight, for always reviewing my fic and emailing advice. That was soooo helpful, and I'm SOO serious when I say this wouldn't exist without you, cuz it soooo wouldn't, it's almost as if you partially wrote it. **

**Then, the HP series. If you haven't already noticed, I got sooo much inspiration from the books; it's not even funny. In fact, I practically don't own the storyline, because I got so many ideas from the HP series. My life would suck without you, JKR, rock on!!!**

**Then, ALL of my reviewers. Anyone who took the time to review this, I soooo owe you!!! The particularly helpful reviews (just thought I should point them out) were from Falling.Twilight, Lady Charity, Vanawillemiel, and Bchow. **

**One more thing I have to credit is the last chapter – almost all of it was inspired by my favorite chapter in "The Lost Moments" by Falling.Twilight, Clouds & Rain. The last chapter in this story would probably be some REALLY crappy ending without that!!!!!!! That was an awesome chapter:). **

**Okay, anyways…thank you SOOO much for reading that!!! I really enjoyed writing it!**

**-Mandy **


	23. um, reviews please?

**Um, constructive criticism is greatly needed. Sorry for those people who got the Alert email and had to CLICK THE LINK AND ALL THAT to find N-O-T-H-I-N-G of use. That's gotta be annoying. **

**I'm working on this fic now, because my non-fic, the Mudblood princess has been getting WAY to many flames and I'm sick of it. **

**And SORRY for those who didn't like the ending, I'm not about to change it. **_**I**_** like stories where Snape has the bad ending. That's why I wrote this. Actually, tragic endings are the best when writing fanfiction, because, hey, you don't own the characters.**

**And for those who wanted Snape to have a happy ending, well, sorry. Like I said, I'm not JKR is since she made Snape's life suck, I have to GO ALONG with the book. See how that works?**

**-Mandy**

**PS: AU's don't fit under that rule.**

**Though I don't agree with AU's since they don't go along with the book…but that's MY opinion, not necessarily yours. **


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